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Tyrion

Chella daughter of Cheyk of the Black Ears had gone ahead to scout, and it was she who brought back word of the army at the crossroads "By their fires I call the," she said "Their banners are red, with a golden lion"

"Your father?" Bronn asked

"Or h" He surveyed his ragged band of brigands: near three hundred Stone Crows, Moon Brothers, Black Ears, and Burned Men, and those just the seed of the ar the other clans even now He wondered what his lord father would make of them in their skins and bits of stolen steel If truth be told, he did not knohat to make of them himself Was he their commander or their captive? Most of the tiht be best if I rode down alone," he suggested

"Best for Tyrion son of Tywin," said Ulf, who spoke for the Moon Brothers

Shagga glowered, a fearsoa will go with the boya will chop off his oats, yes," Tyrion said wearily "Shagga, I give you my word as a Lannister, I will return"

"Why should we trust your word?" Chella was a small hard woman, flat as a boy, and no fool "Lowland lords have lied to the clans before"

"You wound ht we had become such friends But as you will You shall ride with a and Conn for the Stone Crows, Ulf for the Moon Brothers, and Tied wary looks as he named them "The rest shall wait here until I send for you Try not to kill and one"

He put his heels to his horse and trotted off, giving them no choice but to follow or be left behind Either was fine with hi as they did not sit down to talk for a day and a night That was the trouble with the clans; they had an absurd notion that every ued about everything, endlessly Even their women were allowed to speak Small wonder that it had been hundreds of years since they last threatened the Vale with anything beyond an occasional raid Tyrion e that

Bror--the five clanss that looked like ponies and scraoats

The Stone Crows rode together, and Chella and Ulf stayed close as well, as the Moon Brothers and Black Ears had strong bonds between them Timett son of Timett rode alone Every clan in the Mountains of the Moon feared the Burned Men, who e and (the others said) roasted babies at their feasts And even the other Burned Men feared Timett, who had put out his own left eye with a white-hot knife when he reached the age of athered that it was er, or (if he was truly brave, or truly mad) an ear Timett’s fellow Burned Men were so awed by his choice of an eye that they promptly named him a red hand, which seemed to be so burned off," Tyrion said to Bronn when he heard the tale Grinning, the sellsword had tugged at his crotchbut even Bronn kept a respectful tongue around Tih to put out his own eye, he was unlikely to be gentle to his enemies

Distant watchers peered down froh the foothills, and once Tyrion saw a raven take wing Where the high road twisted between two rocky outcrops, they cah closed off the road, and a dozen crossbowhts Tyrion halted his followers out of range and rode to the wall alone "Who commands here?" he shouted up

The captain was quick to appear, and even quicker to give thenized his lord’s son They trotted past blackened fields and burned holdfasts, down to the riverlands and the Green Fork of the Trident Tyrion saw no bodies, but the air was full of ravens and carrion crows; there had been fighting here, and recently

Half a league from the crossroads, a barricade of sharpened stakes had been erected, manned by pikemen and archers Behind the line, the caers of smoke rose from hundreds of cookfires, mailed men sat under trees and honed their blades, and faround

A party of e theht who led them wore silver armor inlaid with amethysts and a striped purple-and-silver cloak His shield bore a unicorn sigil, and a spiral horn two feet long jutted up froreet him "Ser Flement"

Ser Flement Brax lifted his visor "Tyrion," he said in astonishment "My lord, we all feared you dead, or" He looked at the clansmen uncertainly "Thesecompanions of yours"

"Bosom friends and loyal retainers," Tyrion said "Where will I find my lord father?"

"He has taken the inn at the crossroads for his quarters"

Tyrion laughed The inn at the crossroads! Perhaps the gods were just after all "I will see him at once"

"As you say, my lord" Ser Flement wheeled his horse about and shouted coround to h

Lord Tywin’s caues Chella’s esti The cohts had thrown up tents, and soe as houses Tyrion spied the red ox of the Presters, Lord Crakehall’s brindled boar, the burning tree of Marbrand, the badger of Lydden Knights called out to hiaped at the clans back; beyond a certainty, he had never seen so many men, horses, and weapons in all his days The rest of thetheir faces, but Tyrion had no doubts that they were full as much in awe Better and better The more impressed they ith the power of the Lannisters, the easier they would be to command

The inn and its stables were h little more than tumbled stones and blackened foundations reibbet had been erected in the yard, and the body that swung there was covered with ravens At Tyrion’s approach they took to the air, squawking and flapping their black wings He dislanced up at what remained of the corpse The birds had eaten her lips and eyes andher stained red teeth in a hideous son of wine, that was all I asked," he reed hesitantly froive his up "The lad won’t steal your ive her soa’s coat could have used a good brushing too, but it would have been less than tactful to mention it "You have , Shagga let go his grip on the reins "This is the horse of Shagga son of Dolf," he roared at the stableboy

"If he doesn’t give her back, chop off his oats," Tyrion promised "Provided you can find souards in crimson cloaks and lion-crested heln, on either side of the door Tyrion recognized their captain "My father?"

"In the common room, m’lord"

"My men ant et it" He entered the inn, and there was Father

Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, was in his middle fifties, yet hard as a s, broad shoulders, a flat stomach His thin arolden hair had begun to recede, he had commanded his barber to shave his head; Lord Tywin did not believe in half measures He razored his lip and chin as well, but kept his side-whiskers, two great thickets of wiry golden hair that covered reen, flecked with gold A fool more foolish than most had once jested that even Lord Tywin’s shit was flecked with gold Some said the man was still alive, deep in the bowels of Casterly Rock

Ser Kevan Lannister, his father’s only surviving brother, was sharing a flagon of ale with Lord Tyhen Tyrion entered the co, with a close-cropped yellow beard that followed the line of his massive jaw Ser Kevan saw him first "Tyrion," he said in surprise

"Uncle," Tyrion said, bowing "And my lord father What a pleasure to find you here"

Lord Tywin did not stir fro look "I see that the rumors of your demise were unfounded"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Father," Tyrion said "No need to leap up and embrace me, I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself" He crossed the roos made him waddle with every step Whenever his father’s eyes were on him, he becas "Kind of you to go to war for me," he said as he climbed into a chair and helped himself to a cup of his father’s ale

"By hts, it was you who started this," Lord Tywin replied "Your brother Jaime would never have meekly submitted to capture at the hands of a woman"

"That’s one e differ, Jaime and I He’s taller as well, you nored the sally "The honor of our House was at stake I had no choice but to ride No man sheds Lannister blood with i The Lannister words "Truth be told, none ofonce or twice Morrec and Jyck were killed"

"I suppose you will be wanting some new men"

"Don’t trouble yourself, Father, I’ve acquired a few of my own" He tried a s of the ale It was brown and yeasty, so thick you could aled the innkeep "How is your war going?"

His uncle answered "Well enough, for the nonce Ser Ed his borders to stop our raiding, and your lord father and I were able to destroy roup"

"Your brother has been covering hilory," his father said "He smashed the Lords Vance and Piper at the Golden Tooth, and met the massed power of the Tullys under the walls of Riverrun The lords of the Trident have been put to rout Ser Edhts and bannermen Lord Blackwood led a few survivors back to Riverrun, where Jaiholds"

"Your father and I have beenon each in turn," Ser Kevan said "With Lord Blackwood gone, Raventree fell at once, and Lady Whent yielded Harrenhal for want of or burnt out the Pipers and the Brackens"

"Leaving you unopposed?" Tyrion said

"Not wholly," Ser Kevan said "The Mallisters still hold Seagard and Walder Frey ishis levies at the Twins"